Team ONE LOVE:
PG - Gary Payton / Dennis Johnson
SG - Reggie Miller / Michael Redd
SF - Paul George / Glenn Robinson
PF - Tim Duncan / Rasheed Wallace
C - Dikembe Mutombo / DeMarcus Cousins
Team JustTheTip:
PG - Isiah Thomas / Mark Price
SG - Klay Thompson / Tony Allen
SF - Peja Stojakovic / Glen Rice
PF - Draymond Green / Lamar Odom
C - Moses Malone / Pau Gasol
ONE LOVE's Case:
Offensive Philosophy
First and foremost the leadership of Gary Payton and Tim Duncan will GALVANIZE and DRIVE this team.
This team will play inside-out basketball with the ever reliable Gary Payton directing the offense together with Tim Duncan down low. An accomplished low post scorer, Tim Duncan will feature prominently offensively, making plays for himself and others.
Reggie Miller, a proven clutch player, will be money with his near perfect clutch 3pt shooting also providing space inside for Duncan to operate. Paul George is also a proven 3pt shooter and slasher and will also score & draw fouls at will.
In the 2nd unit there are scorers galore, again, playing inside out basketball, starting with the DOMINANT and DYNAMIC pairing of Rasheed Wallace and DeMarcus Cousins, both accomplished low post scorers. Then once the defense sags, Michael Redd and Glenn Robinson, both are great outside threats will be wide open to score at will. The ever reliable Dennis Johnson will distribute the ball to where it needs to go and he brings Championship pedigree (1979 Finals MVP) to the 2nd unit.
Defensive Philosophy
Defensively this is where this team will DOMINATE. Defense starts at the PG with Gary Payton, the only point guard to have ever won a DPOY.
Gary Payton in his prime is considered the best defender of Michael Jordan.
Then you add Tim Duncan and Dikembe Mutombo, 2 of the best defensive bigs to have ever played the game patrolling the paint and blocking shots. Dikembe Mutombo, one of the best defensive center to have ever played the game, and Tim Duncan, the defensive big with no less than 5 championship rings.
Match-up with JustTheTip
Post: Dikembe/Duncan >> Malone/Draymond
Wing: Miller/George >> Thompson/Stojakovic
Point Guard Payton = Thomas
Bench Cousins/Wallace/Robinson/Redd/Johnson > Gasol/Odom/Allen/Rice/Price
JTT has put together a nice team. But in the post, Duncan in his prime is gonna CRUSH Draymond Green offensively. He's just too long, strong and skilled.
Defensively, the Dikembe and Duncan twin towers are going make it impossible for Draymond/Malone to get any shots off inside the paint. No easy baskets here. Then in the wing you have the athletic 6'9 Paul George guarding Stojakovic and Payton being equal defensively to Thomas.
2nd unit's bigs will be a mismatch. In particular, the Cousins/Wallace pairing will CRUSH Gasol/Odom offensively.
In summary, the dominant post play, the BALANCED scoring, and a Championship Calibre DEFENSE will translate to a 4-2 series win.
JustTheTip's Case:
First off, my TEAM is awesome. I'm putting emphasis on the word "team" because I selected a bunch of guys, starters and bench, who will be able to play with each other with a very limited amount of chemistry issues. As a team, we also decided that even though some of our players are older, we're going to play a more modern style of basketball. I think this team shows a great combination of passing, shooting, high IQ players, but most importantly, really good defense. There's really no player on my team that absolutely needs the ball in his hands, except for my point guard, Isiah Thomas, who is a great distributor. We'll start with him.
Isiah Thomas - PG
Hall of Fame player
2x League MVP
1x Finals MVP
12x All-Star
5x All-NBA
Stellar, stellar resume.
The year I'm using is the 84-85 season. That year, Thomas averaged 21/4.5/14 on 46% shooting. Thomas was a true two way player. Great on offense, great on defense. Gary Payton is a good PG, but he's not near the caliber of Thomas. Plus, once you see who Thomas is surrounded by, you'll realize that his ability to drive and kick is going to be a killer to One Love's team. We've got shooters, and he can't stop them. Thomas is truly one of the best point guards of all time! I mean, this guy took it to Stockton time after time, and Payton ain't better than Stockton. Watch the video, and respect the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf1-TuXUJew
Klay Thompson - SG
The modern Reggie Miller, and better. Better shooting numbers, better defense, and doing bigger things at a younger age. Seriously, Klay Thompson is an outstanding perimeter defender. Damn near elite. He was a key member of the team that has the most wins in NBA history for a season, and if it weren't for his teammate Steph Curry, would be the best shooter in the game right now.
22/4/3 while shooting 47/43/88. HE'S NEVER SHOT BELOW 40% FROM 3 IN HIS CAREER! And he's shooting 43% on 8 ATTEMPTS A GAME! That's insane efficiency. Couple in his ability to attack closeouts, drive, and play stellar defense, and this is a great member of a championship team. Now Curry is a good passer, but Zeke was elite. 14 assists a game. Imagine what he would do if he played with Klay effin Thompson.
I'm not adding a video because he's current, and you all know who he is.
Draymond Green - SF
Yes, I am aware that Green is really not a SF, but he's my 3rd best perimeter defender, and I want him guarding Paul George. So, on defense, he will guard George, on offense, he'll just be a forward, doing whatever it takes to win.
Green is one of my favorite players, essentially a modernized, better offensive Dennis Rodman. The man can defend anybody. Guards PG's, SG's, SF's, PF's, C's, and coaches. He'll also make sure you can't have any children. But seriously, this team will be able to switch on a dime. We can defend. Green is a great, great player, but most importantly, he's unselfish and just wants to win.
He's another member of the team that had the most wins in NBA history. Kind of a big deal.
14.5/10/8 split while shooting 49% from the field and 39% from 3. And his offense isn't even the best part of his game. I'll take that all damn day. Paul George is going to get physically worn out by Green. He won't be able to handle it! He can't handle banging with a 6'7 240 lb guy all day! Can't wait to see this matchup.
Moses Malone - PF
Hall of Fame player
NBA Finals MVP
3x League MVP
13x All Star
8x All NBA
2x All-Defensive
Again, I understand that Malone is more of a C than a PF, but I'm doing this for matchup purposes to make it easier on everybody. I digress.
Tim Duncan is a great, great player, but lets not forget that Moses Malone was really damn good too. He was the FIRST player to skip college and go pro, and he just so happened to land in Utah, where he absolutely loved it. He averaged 18-14 as a 19 year old playing against grown men. And it only got better from there.
Often called the best rebounder of all time, Malone was relentless on the boards. He didn't talk trash, he just ran up and down the court, playing smart, playing physical, and getting the job done. I love it!
At the height of his game, he averaged 25 points and 17.5 rebounds per game! The man averaged over 7 offensive rebounds a game! You don't get to take any plays off when Malone is one the court. Notorious for his never ending energy, he's gonna work Duncan as much as anybody would. This would be an awesome matchup to watch, and it would be pretty close. Malone was also a very efficient scorer. Shot 54% and shot 74% from the line, indicating that he would've been able to shoot mid range jumpers if he played in a different era. Here's a video of him for you young bucks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niA1HKj2OfQ
Peja Stojakovic - C
Again, Peja is my center for matchup purposes. I understand he's not a true C.
I'm doing this for several reasons. While he is a good defender, he's my weakest defender. He's also a lights out shooter, great passer, very unselfish.
Now, Dikembe is a great INTERIOR defender. If he had to chase Peja around all day though? Well, that just wouldn't go well. Dikembe is also a zero offensively, so I feel very comfortable putting Peja on him, and if he gets a couple dunks, that's fine. 3>2.
In his prime, Peja was putting up 24/6/2 on a 48/43/93 shooting line. That's incredible. Again, on 7 3-pt attempts a game, he shot 43%. Outstanding. Peja wasn't known for being a defensive stopper, but he played very smart and actually did a good job. He had pretty good length, could get a little physical, and he was smart. Similar to how Joe Ingles plays defense actually.
Now for the bench.
Mark Price PG:
One of the best shooters of all time, shooting over 40% from 3 multiple seasons, he was also a good distributer. He fits in well, as sometimes I can use him as an off-ball type, and sometimes I can use him as my lead guard. Just depends on matchups.
Tony Allen SG:
One of the best perimeter defenders of all time, without a doubt. He can't shoot worth a lick, but I don't need him to. He's gonna come in, bloody up some guys, and make your day a miserable hell for whatever amount of time he's in. Is he ok with playing 10 minutes a game? You bet! He just wants to win. Even these types of teams need role players.
Glen Rice SF:
While he may be more well known for allegedly raw dogging Sarah Palin these days, the man could score on the court too!
Rice's best year, he put up 27/4/2 while shooting 47% from 3 on 5 attempts a game. That's silky smooth. He's my 6th man, my best bench scorer, and he's definitely the best Glen on either team. Big Dog ain't got **** on Rice.
Lamar Odom PF:
This one may be a bit of a shocker, but like I said earlier, I'm building a team, not an overall talent composition. I want guys who can play together, and who can come off the bench as well.
Odom is incredibly versatile. PF sized, but really more of a point forward. You can be sure that I will be running a lot of plays where he can distribute to a wide range of shooters (Price, Rice, Gasol). He was capable of putting up 15/9/5 lines while shooting over 35% from 3. His ability to create plays will help to neutralize Rasheed Wallace on the interior.
Pau Gasol C:
One of the best centers ever. I actually really debated starting him. Pau is a stud. Capable of putting up 20/10/4 lines with very good defense and very good shooting, Pau can really go do it all. Again, one of the reasons I picked him is because he's a great teammate, and he's a great passer. If somebody is open (except for Tony Allen, don't give him the damn ball), they're going to get a good shot. Gasol in his prime would work Cousins.
Before I leave, I just want to point out a few things about One Love's team.
He has two guys who can shoot from deep, and one guy with a mid-range shot. The spacing won't be great there. Duncan and Mutombo will be working in a lot of the same space. I also struggle with seeing Gary Payton and Paul George play together. Paul George likes the ball in his hand, Gary Payton needs the ball in his hands. Tim Duncan will also need the ball a lot, same with Reggie Miller. You've got 4 guys there with a huge usage rate. I don't see that going well. Couple that with two of the biggest mental midgets coming off the bench (Wallace and Cousins), and you're going to see awful team chemistry, and a lot of technical fouls. Seriously, I'll get free points every game because of those two and their techs. I can't imagine putting them on the same team, especially coming off of the bench.
Overall, I have more shooting, I have better defense, and I have a team who can play together without killing each other. Vote me, don't let the BitchStar's alts get another win.
PG - Gary Payton / Dennis Johnson
SG - Reggie Miller / Michael Redd
SF - Paul George / Glenn Robinson
PF - Tim Duncan / Rasheed Wallace
C - Dikembe Mutombo / DeMarcus Cousins
Team JustTheTip:
PG - Isiah Thomas / Mark Price
SG - Klay Thompson / Tony Allen
SF - Peja Stojakovic / Glen Rice
PF - Draymond Green / Lamar Odom
C - Moses Malone / Pau Gasol
ONE LOVE's Case:
Offensive Philosophy
First and foremost the leadership of Gary Payton and Tim Duncan will GALVANIZE and DRIVE this team.
This team will play inside-out basketball with the ever reliable Gary Payton directing the offense together with Tim Duncan down low. An accomplished low post scorer, Tim Duncan will feature prominently offensively, making plays for himself and others.
Reggie Miller, a proven clutch player, will be money with his near perfect clutch 3pt shooting also providing space inside for Duncan to operate. Paul George is also a proven 3pt shooter and slasher and will also score & draw fouls at will.
In the 2nd unit there are scorers galore, again, playing inside out basketball, starting with the DOMINANT and DYNAMIC pairing of Rasheed Wallace and DeMarcus Cousins, both accomplished low post scorers. Then once the defense sags, Michael Redd and Glenn Robinson, both are great outside threats will be wide open to score at will. The ever reliable Dennis Johnson will distribute the ball to where it needs to go and he brings Championship pedigree (1979 Finals MVP) to the 2nd unit.
Defensive Philosophy
Defensively this is where this team will DOMINATE. Defense starts at the PG with Gary Payton, the only point guard to have ever won a DPOY.
Gary Payton in his prime is considered the best defender of Michael Jordan.
Then you add Tim Duncan and Dikembe Mutombo, 2 of the best defensive bigs to have ever played the game patrolling the paint and blocking shots. Dikembe Mutombo, one of the best defensive center to have ever played the game, and Tim Duncan, the defensive big with no less than 5 championship rings.
Match-up with JustTheTip
Post: Dikembe/Duncan >> Malone/Draymond
Wing: Miller/George >> Thompson/Stojakovic
Point Guard Payton = Thomas
Bench Cousins/Wallace/Robinson/Redd/Johnson > Gasol/Odom/Allen/Rice/Price
JTT has put together a nice team. But in the post, Duncan in his prime is gonna CRUSH Draymond Green offensively. He's just too long, strong and skilled.
Defensively, the Dikembe and Duncan twin towers are going make it impossible for Draymond/Malone to get any shots off inside the paint. No easy baskets here. Then in the wing you have the athletic 6'9 Paul George guarding Stojakovic and Payton being equal defensively to Thomas.
2nd unit's bigs will be a mismatch. In particular, the Cousins/Wallace pairing will CRUSH Gasol/Odom offensively.
In summary, the dominant post play, the BALANCED scoring, and a Championship Calibre DEFENSE will translate to a 4-2 series win.
JustTheTip's Case:
First off, my TEAM is awesome. I'm putting emphasis on the word "team" because I selected a bunch of guys, starters and bench, who will be able to play with each other with a very limited amount of chemistry issues. As a team, we also decided that even though some of our players are older, we're going to play a more modern style of basketball. I think this team shows a great combination of passing, shooting, high IQ players, but most importantly, really good defense. There's really no player on my team that absolutely needs the ball in his hands, except for my point guard, Isiah Thomas, who is a great distributor. We'll start with him.
Isiah Thomas - PG
Hall of Fame player
2x League MVP
1x Finals MVP
12x All-Star
5x All-NBA
Stellar, stellar resume.
The year I'm using is the 84-85 season. That year, Thomas averaged 21/4.5/14 on 46% shooting. Thomas was a true two way player. Great on offense, great on defense. Gary Payton is a good PG, but he's not near the caliber of Thomas. Plus, once you see who Thomas is surrounded by, you'll realize that his ability to drive and kick is going to be a killer to One Love's team. We've got shooters, and he can't stop them. Thomas is truly one of the best point guards of all time! I mean, this guy took it to Stockton time after time, and Payton ain't better than Stockton. Watch the video, and respect the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf1-TuXUJew
Klay Thompson - SG
The modern Reggie Miller, and better. Better shooting numbers, better defense, and doing bigger things at a younger age. Seriously, Klay Thompson is an outstanding perimeter defender. Damn near elite. He was a key member of the team that has the most wins in NBA history for a season, and if it weren't for his teammate Steph Curry, would be the best shooter in the game right now.
22/4/3 while shooting 47/43/88. HE'S NEVER SHOT BELOW 40% FROM 3 IN HIS CAREER! And he's shooting 43% on 8 ATTEMPTS A GAME! That's insane efficiency. Couple in his ability to attack closeouts, drive, and play stellar defense, and this is a great member of a championship team. Now Curry is a good passer, but Zeke was elite. 14 assists a game. Imagine what he would do if he played with Klay effin Thompson.
I'm not adding a video because he's current, and you all know who he is.
Draymond Green - SF
Yes, I am aware that Green is really not a SF, but he's my 3rd best perimeter defender, and I want him guarding Paul George. So, on defense, he will guard George, on offense, he'll just be a forward, doing whatever it takes to win.
Green is one of my favorite players, essentially a modernized, better offensive Dennis Rodman. The man can defend anybody. Guards PG's, SG's, SF's, PF's, C's, and coaches. He'll also make sure you can't have any children. But seriously, this team will be able to switch on a dime. We can defend. Green is a great, great player, but most importantly, he's unselfish and just wants to win.
He's another member of the team that had the most wins in NBA history. Kind of a big deal.
14.5/10/8 split while shooting 49% from the field and 39% from 3. And his offense isn't even the best part of his game. I'll take that all damn day. Paul George is going to get physically worn out by Green. He won't be able to handle it! He can't handle banging with a 6'7 240 lb guy all day! Can't wait to see this matchup.
Moses Malone - PF
Hall of Fame player
NBA Finals MVP
3x League MVP
13x All Star
8x All NBA
2x All-Defensive
Again, I understand that Malone is more of a C than a PF, but I'm doing this for matchup purposes to make it easier on everybody. I digress.
Tim Duncan is a great, great player, but lets not forget that Moses Malone was really damn good too. He was the FIRST player to skip college and go pro, and he just so happened to land in Utah, where he absolutely loved it. He averaged 18-14 as a 19 year old playing against grown men. And it only got better from there.
Often called the best rebounder of all time, Malone was relentless on the boards. He didn't talk trash, he just ran up and down the court, playing smart, playing physical, and getting the job done. I love it!
At the height of his game, he averaged 25 points and 17.5 rebounds per game! The man averaged over 7 offensive rebounds a game! You don't get to take any plays off when Malone is one the court. Notorious for his never ending energy, he's gonna work Duncan as much as anybody would. This would be an awesome matchup to watch, and it would be pretty close. Malone was also a very efficient scorer. Shot 54% and shot 74% from the line, indicating that he would've been able to shoot mid range jumpers if he played in a different era. Here's a video of him for you young bucks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niA1HKj2OfQ
Peja Stojakovic - C
Again, Peja is my center for matchup purposes. I understand he's not a true C.
I'm doing this for several reasons. While he is a good defender, he's my weakest defender. He's also a lights out shooter, great passer, very unselfish.
Now, Dikembe is a great INTERIOR defender. If he had to chase Peja around all day though? Well, that just wouldn't go well. Dikembe is also a zero offensively, so I feel very comfortable putting Peja on him, and if he gets a couple dunks, that's fine. 3>2.
In his prime, Peja was putting up 24/6/2 on a 48/43/93 shooting line. That's incredible. Again, on 7 3-pt attempts a game, he shot 43%. Outstanding. Peja wasn't known for being a defensive stopper, but he played very smart and actually did a good job. He had pretty good length, could get a little physical, and he was smart. Similar to how Joe Ingles plays defense actually.
Now for the bench.
Mark Price PG:
One of the best shooters of all time, shooting over 40% from 3 multiple seasons, he was also a good distributer. He fits in well, as sometimes I can use him as an off-ball type, and sometimes I can use him as my lead guard. Just depends on matchups.
Tony Allen SG:
One of the best perimeter defenders of all time, without a doubt. He can't shoot worth a lick, but I don't need him to. He's gonna come in, bloody up some guys, and make your day a miserable hell for whatever amount of time he's in. Is he ok with playing 10 minutes a game? You bet! He just wants to win. Even these types of teams need role players.
Glen Rice SF:
While he may be more well known for allegedly raw dogging Sarah Palin these days, the man could score on the court too!
Rice's best year, he put up 27/4/2 while shooting 47% from 3 on 5 attempts a game. That's silky smooth. He's my 6th man, my best bench scorer, and he's definitely the best Glen on either team. Big Dog ain't got **** on Rice.
Lamar Odom PF:
This one may be a bit of a shocker, but like I said earlier, I'm building a team, not an overall talent composition. I want guys who can play together, and who can come off the bench as well.
Odom is incredibly versatile. PF sized, but really more of a point forward. You can be sure that I will be running a lot of plays where he can distribute to a wide range of shooters (Price, Rice, Gasol). He was capable of putting up 15/9/5 lines while shooting over 35% from 3. His ability to create plays will help to neutralize Rasheed Wallace on the interior.
Pau Gasol C:
One of the best centers ever. I actually really debated starting him. Pau is a stud. Capable of putting up 20/10/4 lines with very good defense and very good shooting, Pau can really go do it all. Again, one of the reasons I picked him is because he's a great teammate, and he's a great passer. If somebody is open (except for Tony Allen, don't give him the damn ball), they're going to get a good shot. Gasol in his prime would work Cousins.
Before I leave, I just want to point out a few things about One Love's team.
He has two guys who can shoot from deep, and one guy with a mid-range shot. The spacing won't be great there. Duncan and Mutombo will be working in a lot of the same space. I also struggle with seeing Gary Payton and Paul George play together. Paul George likes the ball in his hand, Gary Payton needs the ball in his hands. Tim Duncan will also need the ball a lot, same with Reggie Miller. You've got 4 guys there with a huge usage rate. I don't see that going well. Couple that with two of the biggest mental midgets coming off the bench (Wallace and Cousins), and you're going to see awful team chemistry, and a lot of technical fouls. Seriously, I'll get free points every game because of those two and their techs. I can't imagine putting them on the same team, especially coming off of the bench.
Overall, I have more shooting, I have better defense, and I have a team who can play together without killing each other. Vote me, don't let the BitchStar's alts get another win.
